The Men of the Death Star
by Masterfanfic2013
Summary: War is not black and white, it doesn't prove who is right and wrong. In the end, it is always the civilians who suffer. Set between Where the Sun Sails and the Moon Walks and A Lightsaber's Past.


**A short one-shot heavily focusing on the normal, everyday people under the rule of the Empire. This one-shot is inspired by Lucas King's original composition: _Men of the Death Star|Vader's Lament_. Feel free to listen to it and support the amazing composer.**

 **By the way, this one-shot story is also inspired by this fan art:** **/d1ygyce**

 **To save repeating myself for the five previous stories with the same cover image, i do not own it. At this stage, you should know who the cover image belongs to. All rights go to her.**

 **I hope you enjoy this piece.**

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 _"War does not determine who is right - only who is left."_

\- Bertrand Russell

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 _Year: 2 ABY…_

Canon: _Between A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back_

( _Scene: Streets, Upper Levels, Coruscant, Core Region_ )

The streets of Coruscant were bustling with life as usual, it seemed as if the change of regime did not bother the planet at all. It didn't matter to the people though, they were happy, smiling, laughing and even waving at the Stormtrooper patrols as they saluted back. The people were fooled into believing that the Galactic Empire is doing much more good than the Republic which was democratic and corrupt, it was divided. Thanks to the propaganda being spread, more and more civilians join the ranks of any form of employment offered, may it be signing up for the Imperial Military Academy, engineering, research - weaponry or scientific, history; name it and it is there. The Galactic Empire has been in power for twenty-one years, the planets are prospering, families are earning money with a stable salary, but the one thing the Empire can't stop is the killing. There are some who disagree with imperial control and believe that they can restore the Republic to its former glory. Those people call themselves the Rebel Alliance, but they are no rebels, they are terrorists upsetting the peace. This Rebel Alliance are the ones responsible for families who are grieving and mourning their loved ones and the Empire is doing everything in its power to crush the said rebellion. The one attack that left a devastating blow and broke the hearts of many, was the destruction of the first Death Star, a super weapon to impose the might the of the Empire; its size to inflict instant fear and its power could destroy an entire planet. The brilliant mastermind behind it was Lead Engineer Galen Erso, but he placed a weakness into the weapon's design and when the rebels got their hands on the schematics, they exploited that weakness and hundreds died on that space station. Imperial staff ranging from Stormtroopers to Naval Officers, high ranking military officials and engineers, to the less important staff such as cooks, maintenance and construction workers.

The staff were more than that though, they had families, friends, brothers, sisters and so on to return to. To return home and their loved were taken away so quickly, so needlessly. It was by the hands of an unidentified rebel pilot, a skilled pilot who was able to match the best and well trained TIE Fighter pilot. A single rebel with the deaths of hundreds on his hands. How can he live with that? What the rebels call a victory in their perspective, the Empire sees defeat, the people see murder. They cried for justice, justice for their loved ones who could not be buried, their bodies were instantly burned away when the Death Star exploded; the explosion from the huge Kyber Crystal caused it, due to its instability after being hit. On a military perspective, the numbers suffered, particularly in the Navy and Stormtrooper unit, it didn't come as a surprise when jobs opened for military positions, the citizens flocked to be commissioned into the ranks. Their anger towards the Rebel Alliance led them to join, they wanted to avenge their fallen loved ones. One such battalion that suffered loss and numbers was the 501st Imperial Stormtrooper Battalion, they are the finest soldiers of the Empire and are under the command of General Véurr or Darth Véurr - the Emperor's right-hand. She is a Togruta, anyone can figure that out and a Sith, but she is deadly, Véurr commands an Imperial Super Star Destroyer called _The Jǫtun-Móðr_ , which translates to _Giant's Rage_. Her ship, the fleet she commands is something to behold, one would flee at the sight, her skills as a tactician are next to none; yet she holds great respect to Grand Admiral Thrawn, who has disappeared and presumed dead three years ago during The Siege of Lothal. Yet, it is her skills in combat, especially with a lightsaber and her abilities with The Force that make her both deadly and dangerous. Lady Véurr is quite noticeable for her unusual choice in armour, those who studied history, more specifically military history; will quickly note the armour closely resembles the old Phase Two Clone Trooper armour, her helmet is designed to be similar to the Phase One Clone helmet, with a Mandalorian touch. Véurr's forearms… forearm; one is prosthetic and the other is protected by a gauntlet made of Mandalorian Iron, very rare material that is mined off one of the moons orbiting Mand'alore (or Mandalore). The armour is painted completely black, but lined with red streaks and finished off with a pitch black cape than reached below her knees. The people of Coruscant call her The Black Clone Trooper of the Empire. Overall, she is the perfect person to instil fear into the hearts of the enemy. No one is crazy enough to fight a Sith, you would have to be insane to face someone like her.

There is praise from the Stormtroopers who serve under her and are proud to be Imperial, proud to serve the Empire, they say she is the best General to work under; while there are moments where it is difficult to work with her, her records are nothing but clean, numerous victories for the Empire. Darth Véurr is a brave, fearless and sometimes cruel leader, a warrior, but at least she doesn't lose. That's how the public perceive her, she's a hero, a war hero, but it meant nothing because she lost so many of her battalion who were still onboard the space station when it was destroyed. Her battalion numbers were reduced by over half! It's been two years and the numbers are still not what they were before those men lost their lives. Officials have reported to her saying it will take another year of recruitment to bring back the proud numbers of the 501st. Speaking of which, today marked the Second Anniversary of the Death Star's destruction, but also the lives lost. Sure, Véurr can be cruel to her staff, some have died under her, not just on the frontlines, but by her hand by grating her temper with the smallest of incompetences and neither does she take kindly to having her orders questioned. If you do so, one would either be Force Choked as a warning or electrocuted by her Force Lightening, but if it's really bad, then the victim would be Force Choked or electrocuted to death; and Véurr has lost count at how many times she has done so over the twenty-one years. On one of her rare days where she is grounded, as she is known for never taking a break, she makes an exception during the anniversary. This is her second visit, she made another last year.

To honour those that have died on the Death Star, a memorial has been built so that their memory and the names will never be forgotten. It is built on the large green, the black wall made of fine stone stretched three-hundred feet. Engraved on it was the names of those lost, written in Galactic Basic and the other side of the wall is covered in the names of the fallen too. So many have died by the rebels, were they that heartless? They only cared about the destruction of the Death Star, they didn't care for the lives they have taken. Darth Véurr actually felt some form of guilt towards those who have perished, it haunts her. She walked down the street, ignoring the stares and whispers around her, clearly she is easy to recognise, but the public are not used to seeing her without her signature armour. Véurr felt the battle armour would be a bit much and instead, settled for her Sith robes that she hardly wears, it was a simple outfit: a black tunic, along with a pair of black trousers designed to withstand a fight and not get caught in anything and a pair of black knee-high boots. Her outfit is then finished off with a matching black cape and a silver buckle indicating a belt to clip her lightsabers to. The one piece of armour that can be seen is her Mandalorian Iron gauntlet. Still and all, armour or without armour, she is still an intimidating figure. In general, the Sith Lady hates being out of her armour, she somewhat feels… naked without it, but sometimes she finds it good to be out of it too, but Véurr likes the intimidation factor from it. Right now, Lady Véurr was making her way to the flower shop she went to last year, they always had beautiful bouquets of flowers, regardless of the year and season. Seeing the shop, Véurr entered, pushing the door as the top corner hit the bell, notifying the shop owner of a customer entering. There was sounds coming from the back, meaning the person who runs the store is in the back; Véurr glanced at the already prepared bouquets, containing all sorts of flowers from various planets, planets like Naboo, Felucia, Ryloth and others. After a few minutes, the horticulturist, a human, came out carrying a pot, but when her eyes glanced at her customer, she instantly let go. Véurr's reflexes kicked in and she reached out with her hand, stopping the pot from hitting the floor, then levitating it back onto the counter.

"Lady Véurr! An honour it is to see you again." She said quickly, bowing. Lady Véurr inwardly sighed, she hated people bowing before her, though she does not mind being saluted. Bowing is a bit much for her taste.

"Please, there is no need for that. I am not the Emperor." Not many have heard her voice without her helmet's built in modulator to distort it. Véurr's voice sounded smooth, yet with a sense of command and authority behind it. The owner stood up, brushing her knees of the dirt. "I'm looking for a bouquet. I was wondering if you could help me pick the right one, miss." She didn't exactly bother knowing her name on the first visit.

"Karelia. My name is Karelia." She smiled and the Sith Lady returned a small one as well. Karelia has been self-employed, she built this shop from the ground up and despite running this business for four years; ever since the destruction of the Empire's super weapon and the passing of her fiancé. Jason was one of many Stormtroopers of the 501st, when he graduated from the academy, he was top of his class in all aspects. His first choice to be assigned was Darth Véurr's battalion. With their combined salaries, they had a good, modest living but since then… it suffered and Karelia is barely getting by. She actually works two jobs and everyday she misses her fiancé. Getting the letter from the Imperial officials was the most heartbreaking occurrence in her life and here, before her is his General. She should be mad at Véurr, she should have been a better General, his death could have been prevented but… Karelia knows the Sith Lady can't save everyone. That is the reality of war. It's not everyday someone tries to take up small talk with the imposing Sith Lady, she still gets surprised by her unexpected visits which occurs every year. She did actually break a plant pot on her first visit last year. "My fiancé was a member of your battalion.",

"I know him to see. Officer Scott, he was a fine soldier, brave." Karelia saw Lady Véurr's gold eyes appear distant and haunted. "I'm sorry you lost your fiancé, I'm sorry I wasn't a better General.",

"Mi'lady, don't be sorry. Jason couldn't have asked for a better General, after his campaigns he did nothing but talk about you. Just… promise me his death won't be in vain.",

"By my oath and allegiance to Galactic Empire, his death and many others will be avenged. I will crush the rebellion and your fiancé can be at peace." Véurr replied strongly, knowing the sole pilot who destroyed the super weapon. He was a Force Sensitive, a powerful one and she felt it with the former princess of Alderaan: Leia Organa. Karelia let out a soft ' _thank you_ ', then proceeded to get down to business, going through with Véurr the bouquets she has. After ten minutes, Darth Véurr settled on a bouquet containing flowers normally found on Naboo; Karelia has a good touch with flowers, some of these are difficult to grow. Véurr reached into her pocket, taking out a handful of Imperial Credits, but the horticulturist insisted she take it for free. Lady Véurr told her to accept them, she needed the money, all the while trying to keep her temper in check, not many realise the Lady of the Sith has a volatile temper and she does not wish to harm anyone on this particular day. Reluctantly, Karelia took the credits, knowing she was overcharged, but she was thankful for the money. With the flowers in hand, they said goodbye to each other, it won't be another year till they meet again.

 _Fifteen Minutes Later…_

( _Scene: Memorial Garden, Upper Levels, Coruscant, Core Region_ )

Darth Véurr entered the Memorial Garden, her eyes gazing at the three-hundred foot wall, covered in the names of the fallen. In another section of the garden, was a statue of a lone Stormtrooper, holding a blaster rifle, his head bowed down. The garden was created to remember those that have died, never will they be forgotten. While Véurr sometimes has little care for the ordinary citizens, she finally sees how much they hurt. They missed their loved ones, the Death Star's destruction has been called an act of terrorism and murder. The rebels left those they loved to fight against a powerful regime, the civilians of the Empire have lost family members and friends. The Sith Lady's fist clenched, ever since the rebellion established, as she predicted, she hated them, it fuelled her anger, as her anger towards surviving, exiled Jedi. The last Jedi that died was Jedi Master Shaak Ti, Ahsoka Tano's mother; the pathetic and weak Jedi Knight she used to be. That was seven years ago, on Malachor. Over the years she wondered why Shaak saved her from the devastating blast, because that is what she did, it was how she fell through the floor. It collapsed just as she did the finishing blow on the older Togruta, of course the fall did hurt, broke a rib on impact and she had to get her armour repaired, along with sourcing a power cell for her other lightsaber. The only reminder she has of Shaak is her lightsaber, now stored away in her trophy room in her fortress on Mustafar. She constantly asked herself why the Jedi saved her. Was it because she couldn't let her die? Or was it the fact she knew her daughter was still in there and can be brought back? Why can't anyone who knew Ahsoka Tano accept the fact she is gone!? She is never coming back, the darkness has consumed her. The Dark Side is more powerful than the Light, any light that represents her weaker self has been shut off.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Véurr approached the memorial wall, seeing the names carved in Galactic Basic. Her gaze fell on the name of Karelia's fiancé: Officer Jason Scott of the 501st Imperial Stormtrooper Battalion, his name written beside many others. Darth Véurr may have mistreated and punished some of her crew onboard, she did somewhat respect the fact they had families to return to; well… the ones who died by her hand are covered up. No one truly knows how she treats her staff onboard her vessel, most of the praise they seem to give her are lies. Yet whenever she passes the mess hall, all she sees are the faces of happy men and part of her that can feel, hurts that they are gone, but it's a game of façade. The Emperor neither cares much for his people too, he only cares about holding onto power, despite growing weak and feeble. Some Sith Lord and Master he is, Darth Véurr does plan to overthrow him, but she needs an Apprentice to aid her in that conquest, so she can take the throne for herself. Treachery and deceit has always been the way of the Sith, ever since Darth Bane instigated The Rule of Two; a Master who holds the power and an Apprentice who craves it. Darth Sidious has taunted her many times to strike him down, but she couldn't, he still has the power to incapacitate her. During the establishment of the Empire, she found out of another contingency order even when The Grand Army of the Republic fell, created by her own Master. It was from a fellow Clone Trooper she killed, so he would not report to the Emperor she knew this knowledge. It was Contingency Protocol: Order One-Five-One, the order to kill her should the need arise. Thankfully, the Emperor has never used it. The Clone Trooper that told her was Commander Vill. Anyway, for now, Véurr plays the game; she needs to make some kind of impression on the people of the Empire. Sith Lady Véurr placed the flowers at the base of the wall and stood silently at the wall. She can almost see her men saluting her back. The Rebel Alliance needs to fall for the Galactic Empire to continue ruling. Then her attention turned when her montrals picked up the sounds of a crying child, her eyes gazing on the small form. Cursing her need to keep up appearances, Véurr walked over to the child and knelt down at eye level. The unnamed child almost jumped when her blue eyes looked into bearing and fierce golden ones, but she calmed down, realising it the person she looks up to and adores: Darth Véurr. The child looked exactly to be no more than eight years old and somehow managed to calm herself down in the Sith Lady's presence. Not really knowing how to be around children, since the last time she was ever around little ones is just slaughtering them all like banthas, ask the Younglings of the destroyed Jedi Temple; including the victims of the massacres of Geonosis, Zygerria and Raada. All Véurr could do was somewhat go with the flow.

"What are you doing here on your own?" She asked. "What's your name?",

"Sofia, Lady Véurr." The child introduced, "Don't worry, my mom knows I come here often.",

"Did you… lose someone close to you? Who worked on the Death Star?" Véurr carefully questioned,

"My dad and my brother. Dad was a cook, but my brother was an engineer. Are you going to get the bad guys?",

"I made that promise to another citizen. To all those who lost loved ones, Sofia, the rebels will pay with their lives." Young Sofia smiled, knowing her dad's and brother's death will not go unpunished. She then looked at her watch, realising the time. Lady Véurr offered to walk her home, the streets can be dangerous, even in the upper levels, not just the lower, particularly Level Thirteen-Thirteen. The worst of the worst crimes dwell down there, it is where the most desperate go. When Sofia jumped off the seat, telling Véurr where she lives, someone yelled out.

"FOR THE REPUBLIC!" And opened fired, directly at Darth Véurr and Sofia. Two rebel sympathisers, shooting at them with their blasters. Sofia hid behind Véurr as she unclipped her lightsaber and ignited it, revealing its blood-red blade. Using Form I: Shii-Cho, the Sith Lady lazily blocked the blaster fire, then finally growing bored after deflecting the tenth laser. She stretched out her hand, Force Pulling the blasters out of their hands and crushed them. The two men attempted to flee at the failed assassination, it was a bold move, but they were brought both to their knees, held down by the Force. Any rebel sympathiser is executed by Véurr's hand, but with the presence of a child, she could not scare her like that. Instead, Darth Véurr kept them pinned down, until a Stormtrooper patrol arrived. The two men quivered in fear, begging for forgiveness and to be spared. The Lady of the Sith growled, her gold eyes glaring into them.

"You have committed the highest treason against the Empire, by attempting my assassination, in the presence of a child no less! I will not punish you, I will leave that to the court." Four Stormtroopers arrived, with handcuffs and all. Once the men were cuffed, Véurr released them from her hold. "Take them to prison for questioning." She ordered, instantly falling into her General demeanour. The four troopers saluted.

"Yes ma'am!" And they walked away, hauling the rebel sympathisers with them in their tight grasp. Lady Véurr went to check on Sofia, to make sure she wasn't too shaken. To her surprise, the eight year old child jumped and hugged her. Véurr was taken aback and didn't know how to respond, she never had physical contact, much less a hug. The child was so innocent though, she should not have been here when those men attacked her. Perhaps it goes to show that the rebels have no care for anyone getting caught in the crossfire of their cause, children included and that can be used to spark the people's anger and dissuade them from thinking of joining the rebellion.

"You saved me! Thank you, Lady Véurr." Sofia genuinely meant it, Véurr saved the life of a child. At least she can return home to her mother unharmed. "When I grow up, I want to be a Stormtrooper and be part of your battalion." Darth Véurr chuckled lightly. It is difficult to apply for her battalion, Véurr herself set very high standards the cadets need to meet upon their graduation. They required high marks in all aspects, most importantly: marksmanship, piloting, navigation, engineering and mechanics and also close quarter combat - armed and unarmed. They are just a few skills that she expects in her men.

"Ambitious you are, little one." A part of her delved back into the past, recalling Captain Rex (CT-7567) of the 501st Clone Trooper Legion, it was what he used to call her when she was Ahsoka. She still holds feelings for him, even though he turned his back on her, she hopes one day he'll come to his senses that the rebellion is a fool's errand. "I will be waiting patiently. Come on, let's get you home. You have quite a story to tell your mother." With that, the two left the Memorial Garden after the eventful day. As one would say: just a typical day on Coruscant, under the rule of the Imperial Empire.

Darth Véurr took one more glance at the black stone wall, recalling the promises she has made. She will now make it her mission to track down the rebels and eradicate them from existence, including Anakin Skywalker. War is not black and white, it is grey, both sides have losses, but the Empire is suffering more with casualties. People of the Empire are losing loved ones everyday, the Rebel Alliance are terrorists, then on their side, the rebels view them as monsters and suppressors of the outspoken. The rebels forget Imperials are people too and Véurr has every intention to stop them, not just for the people, but her own personal revenge. She hopes for herself, that her anger will be appeased, once she has Anakin Skywalker's lightsaber.

 _Fin_

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 **So, Darth Véurr does have a soft side, even though she plays a game when it comes to the Empire and working with higher officials. It's a bit of one-eighty from writing about how great and right the Rebel Alliance are to: oh look, they're a bunch of terrorists upsetting the peace and the Empire is great! Long live the Galactic Empire!**

 **It is a grey area because Luke Skywalker did single handedly kill all these people onboard (not that we care about Tarkin) and was awarded for it. Doesn't make the rebels that much righteous and neither is the Empire.**

 **Both sides are losing casualties, war doesn't care for sides, but this is from the perspective of the Empire and its pretty much brainwashed people. It's not a surprise after researching all the propaganda Palpatine used, it's like comparing it to Hitler's rule.**

 **I have referenced Star Wars Legends, AKA: Expanded Universe. Contingency Order 151 does exist in Legends and was there should Darth Vader needed to be killed, so it wouldn't hurt for Sidious to have that with Darth Véurr. Legends is not part of the Canon, but I decided to throw it in there.**

 **This is just a quick one-shot, so I will get back to my other projects, but this one was itching to get out.**

 **I don't ask for reviews, but it's nice to see your opinions. Until then!**


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